Kill to Save
by Thugisa's refrigeREItor
Summary: Set in the BnHA universe, in which class 3-E is where students who are in the bottom 5% (mostly coz they're quirkless) of the grade by the end of their second year at Kunugigaoka Junior High get sent to. [This happens after their summer breaks, aka right after the Provisional Hero License Exam arc in BnHA&the Island arc in AssClass] (PS if ur against any type of pairing don't read)
1. one

"What the fuck?!"

The head of the creature standing in front of the blackboard turned lilac, a dark purple cross flashing on his face. "Terasaka-kun, expletives are strictly prohibited in this classroom."

"What else do you expect me to fucking say when you're telling us that we'll have to give our assassination up to some snotty heroes with -" Terasaka slammed his fist into his desk. _"-quirks?!"_

"I'm afraid there's some kind of misunderstanding. You aren't giving your assassination up to UA's class 1-A; they'll simply be joining you in the race against time to kill me. No one's taking anything from anyone," Korosensei explained patiently.

"Of fucking course. Quirkless shits against heroes-in-training. The government totally _isn't_ making us hand the job and the bounty over. _To-tal-ly,"_ Karma stressed every syllable of the last word, sarcasm practically dripping from his remark.

"Karma-kun, as I've said to your classmates before you joined our class, quirks don't matter when I'm your target. Let's say one of the students has an explosion quirk - unless they can include the anti-me substances in their explosions, or the bombs custom made by Takebayashi-kun would prove to be a great deal more effective. Besides, the young heroes aren't against you. You'll be collaborating with them."

Terasaka snorted. "Collaborating, my ass. Pretty sure they're just a bunch of brats who the chairman brainwashed into coming so that he can show us just how pathetic we are." Yoshida and Muramatsu backed him up with a 'yeah!' and an 'exactly!'

"You're being too harsh on Chairman Asano, Terasaka-kun. Besides, this is actually the government's idea - my colleagues, the chairman, UA's Principal Nezu, the UA faculty and I myself have consented to it."

"What about that class, though?" Maehara pointed out. "And our permission?"

"I must ask you to excuse us for making such a hasty decision without taking your opinions into consideration, my dear students. After some discussion, we concluded that this would benefit all parties - another class of students having a shot at killing me means a higher chance of my death, and thus a higher chance at saving the earth from destruction. UA believes that this can be a valuable experience for the heroes-in-training: they have been through much more than any other first-year hero class out there, but the prospect of the world ending presents a crisis they've never faced before. For you students in general, it's also a chance to socialize, make new friends, and possibly even establish connections that might be useful for your futures. Karasuma-sensei is over at UA briefing class 1-A right now, which is why your PE class during the first period will be with me!" In contrast to Korosensei's jovial mood, the class groaned.

"Then how are you so sure that they'll agree to actually killing someone? Wouldn't that go against their morals?" Nakamura challenged. "I mean, the goal of us assassins is to sharpen our blades and eventually take your life, while they aspire to be heroes that save lives for a living."

"I guess assassins are, in a way, vigilantes who get rid of the filth of society. But it really depends on your definition of 'filth'... in this case, villains can also say the same about themselves, so it doesn't really change the fact that heroes and assassins operate on opposite sides of the spectrum," Karma shrugged.

"Nakamura-san and Karma-kun's concerns are indeed valid. But remember: you're not average assassins. To put it simply, if they join you, they'll be killing _to save_. Your mission is given by the government, and you save this world if you kill me, even if you're not openly credited for your work. That'd be like being the hero of the entire planet, no? This would be the appeal in our argument; we'll use it to get through to the heroes, and you should also learn how to sell the good points in your arguments for the persuasive writing that's due next week. Any more questions?" Korosensei dusted his robe off as he waited for responses. When he didn't receive any other complaints and protests, he spread the two feelers he used as arms wide. "No? Let's begin the roll call then! Student on duty!"

Nagisa stood from his seat as the rest of the class followed his lead. They raised their pistols and rifles in sync like an organized army. "Attention!" The bluenette's voice rang through the room, which was silent with suspense. "And... bow!"

"What the fuck?!"

Bakugou stared the dark-haired man who took Aizawa's place down tentatively. The hero himself napped, cocooned in his yellow sleeping bag by the podium.

"I thought heroes are supposed to save people while limiting the number of casualties? And now you're telling us that you'll train us to be fucking killers?" Bakugou asked, keeping his voice down to a low snarl.

"Haha, I thought you'd be all for it, Bakugou. Aren't you the one who's always like 'DIE, MOTHERFUCKER!'?" Sero teased, trying and failing to do an impression of a pissed Bakugou as the Bakusquad excluding ash blond himself - Sero, Kirishima, Mina and Kaminari - doubled over with hysterical laughter.

"You better tape your shitty mouth shut, tape man, or I swear to God -" Bakugou directed his palm at Sero. Sparks flew rapidly from it before they suddenly diminished. "What the -" He turned to see Aizawa glaring at him. "Look, God already hears your swearing. I'm pretty sure it's hurting his ears as much as it's hurting mine, so just shut up already, brat."

"Tch." Bakugou slouched in his seat, scowling.

"As I was saying, killing this octopus -" Karasuma indicated the picture of Korosensei (who'd decided not to officially meet 1-A in person until they 'agree' to take the job, even though the plans were already in place) "- will save the entire world. Not just Japan; if you manage to end this creature before he ends this world, you save an entire planet of people. The very definition of a hero, which is what you all are training to become, is noble person who has the courage to fight the evil that threatens to harm civilians. Treat the octopus as the villain that you must defeat to save not only yourself, but mankind in general."

The room was quiet apart from Aizawa's faint snoring as the students considered Karasuma's words.

The black-haired man sighed internally. "If you succeed, a 30 billion yen bounty will be shared among you."

Excited squeals and gasps were immediately heard. Uraraka fell off her chair.

Iida was the first to regain his composure. "Excuse me..."

"Yes?"

"You said we'll be working with another class of students, Karasuma-san. Could you give us more information about them, perhaps? The quirks some of them possess, for instance, so that we can get a brief idea as to how they could work with ours to come up with the best possible plan."

Karasuma straightened up. "They're Kunugigaoka Junior High's class 3-E."

"Middle schoolers? They haven't started training their quirks for real yet, and they're already using them to kill a villain? Is that safe for them?" Tsuyu asked, a worried 'kero' tacked to the end of her question as her older sister instincts kicked in.

"And that's where you're wrong, Asui-kun. Kunugigaoka Junior High is a prestigious school where young prodigies undergo high school-level extensive physical and quirk training, then directly move on to the enrichment program their high school department offers. Their academic achievements are exceptional as well - put the chairman's genius son aside, most of the students are able to keep up with the fast teaching pace and the college-level exam syllabus!" Iida karate-chopped the air with a flourish.

"That's true," Karasuma noted. "But that doesn't exactly apply to the class 3-E you'll be working with. In fact, they're outcasts; most of them are quirkless students who couldn't keep up and are deemed nugatory. In other words, they're what other students call the End Class: the bottom 5% of the grade that are looked down upon and laughed at, who also drive the other 95% to work hard so that they won't end up among the worst."

A hush fell over the classroom. Even the normally impassive Todoroki was frowning slightly. A wave of empathy washed over Midoriya as he swallowed thickly. _Quirkless... just like I once was..._

"Don't underestimate them or take pity on them just because they weren't born with quirks, though. In terms of assassination, their progress and experience are way ahead of you. Besides, there are some in that class who absolutely loathe being looked down upon."

Nobody spoke. Until -

"I believe this calls for a class vote," Momo offered.

"Yeah! Democracy, people!" Kaminari hollered.

" _Just_ _stop being so extra already..."_ Jirou mumbled.

The two class reps took their positions next to Karasuma. "Those in favor of joining class 3-E in their attempt to assassinate this villain?"

Midoriya was the first to raise his hand, shortly before Iida himself shot his arm up. Uraraka and Todoroki were next, followed by Tsuyu, Mina, and Aoyama. Pretty soon, the entire class had their hands raised - all except Bakugou.

"C'mon, Bakubro. Real men don't shrink from challenges!" Kirishima urged.

"I'm not chickening out, shitty hair," Bakugou lashed out. "And don't call me 'Bakubro'."

"Are you on board if I stop calling you Bakubro, then?"

Bakugou huffed a sigh. "You know, you could be using the time you're gonna have to devote to coming up with an assassination plan to drill your crap trigonometry instead."

Kirishima gave a hearty laugh. "So all this is because of me sucking at math? I'll make it work somehow - I promised that I won't flunk that quiz next week, didn't I?"

"... whatever, then. But you better not let me see a fucking seven out of a hundred on your paper next time. Or I'll break your fucking legs for wasting my time on those meaningless tutor sessions."

"Won't let you down, bro!" Kirishima pounded his chest twice with his fist. "'Cause breaking promises ain't manly at all!"

"It's decided, then!" Momo raised her arm and wrote a curly '20' next to the table she'd drawn to tally the votes with finality. Mineta drooled and exchanged thumbs-ups with Kaminari as they basked in the glory of Momo's waist, which was revealed as her blazer and shirt were pulled up. A soft 'ah' escaped from her mouth as she quickly tucked the white fabric back into her skirt.

The somewhat erotic sound only made Mineta and Kaminari fanboy harder.

Jirou's jacks whipped them both at the backs of their heads. The girl herself smiled reassuringly at her flustered best friend.

"All right, then. Starting next Monday, you'll be having lessons with E-class at their campus, since it's more... secluded. Do bear in mind, though, that this assassination attempt is a national secret. Tell no one of your mission, not even your parents. The school will issue a notice to them, saying that you'll be tutoring a class at Kunugigaoka as an extensive learning experience while continuing your academics and studies. We can't risk word about your target getting out - that will send the public into a frenzy, and we don't want that. You will officially meet your target next Monday as well, and there will be a coach arranged to take you to the Kunugigaoka main campus. As of now, I must take my leave." Karasuma bowed and left the classroom swiftly.

With a yawn, Aizawa stepped out of his sleeping bag and took his place at the podium. "Further to what Karasuma-san has just said, I, as your class teacher, will supervise you. Midnight-sensei has also kindly offered to come along. Any questions? No? Let's begin class, then."


	2. two

"Well. This is awkward."

If anything, Nakamura's joking comment only intensified the tension between the two classes. The classroom was somehow bigger than it was before, with twenty extra seats at what used to be the back of the classroom but was expanded over the weekend.

Uraraka poked Iida, whose arms were quivering on his desk. "You're our class rep, right? Say something, maybe? Anything to break this tension?"

Iida swallowed and took the girl's advice, shooting up from his desk and walking to the front of the classroom. A few students squeaked in surprise at the shrill screech the wooden chair made as it scooted backwards. Iida cleared his throat and whipped out a set of cue cards. "Good morning, class 3-E! I'm the class representative of UA High's class 1-A, and I would like to declare that we will try our best to learn and cooperate with you to save the planet from this villain's wrath -"

A gust of wind almost knocked him over as the blur cleared up to reveal Korosensei. "Excuse me for interrupting, Iida Tenya-kun, but starting today, you are students in my classroom. Therefore, I would prefer that you call me by the name my class has bestowed upon me: Korosensei."

Bakugou clicked his tongue in annoyance. What makes him think he's in a position to demand something from us? We're the ones killing him here, aren't we? He flipped the green knife distributed to the class last Friday over, staring unblinkingly at Korosensei. How fast is he, anyway? The ash blond thought, taking aim and letting the knife sail through the air.

"... since I still don't know your class very well, I was hoping that you, as the class rep, could -" Without a single trace of shock on his face, Korosensei paused mid-sentence and caught Bakugou's knife with a handkerchief in his tentacle. "Not yet, Bakugou Katsuki-kun. I would like you to start your assassination attempts only after I've properly introduced myself."

Bakugou crossed his arms. "Was just testing the waters, teach." So he really is fast...

"On behalf of my students, I would like to extend a warm welcome to the heroes-in-training of UA's class 1-A. As I have just mentioned, do call me Korosensei, now that I have taken you under my wing for the time being. Well, under my tentacles."

Someone sneezed.

"Sorry," Hagakure apologized as Ojiro handed her a tissue.

"Anyway, A-class, I hope you won't think that having quirks makes you more worthy of taking my life than E class, because in my classroom, quirks don't matter. You can use them as an accomplice to success, but you can't simply rely on them. As for 3-E, think past the fact that they have quirks while you don't. We're all equals here in this classroom, and it will please no one if your differences in genetics drive a wedge between you."

"Are you done?" Terasaka grunted, irritated.

"Nurufufufu, I see you're very impatient today, Terasaka-kun. Without further ado, then, let us begin roll call! Take your pistols and rifles, children, and make your responses nice and loud!"

3-E was in position already; 1-A, new to this new routine, scrambled to follow suit. "Aizawa-sensei didn't tell us how guns worked in class, did he?" Momo eyed her rifle, unsure.

"Here, do this!" Ritsu, who was wearing a bandanna with the words 'welcome to our assassination classroom', raised a virtual rifle of her own in addition to the actual guns that emerged from the sides of her box.

"Thank you," Momo said gratefully after a simple tutorial from the AI. "And, um, if you don't mind me asking, are you -"

Ritsu winked. "I'm Ritsu - short for 'Jiritsu Shikou Kotei Houdai': Autonomously Intelligent Fixed Artillery."

"An AI! So cool!" Kaminari gushed. "And she's cute too!"

Ritsu blushed. "Thank you!"

"Can we just fucking start this off already?!" Bakugou snapped, his finger tapping the trigger of his pistol impatiently.

"Why do you always act like you're a girl on her period?" Todoroki deadpanned.

Bakugou gaped at the nonchalant boy. "The fuck, Icy Hot?"

Uraraka burst into a fit of giggles. "T-Todoroki-kun, you really shouldn't s-say stuff like this with such a straight f-face!"

"... I shouldn't?" That only made her laugh harder.

"Uraraka-kun, roll call is about to start! Please calm down as soon as possible!" Iida reprimanded sternly.

"Pfft! S-sorry!"

Whoa, Midoriya thought as bullets whizzed towards their new teacher from every corner of the classroom. The octopus was a blur as he dodged them at mach speed all the while reading out names from his list. "Oh, it appears that Karma-kun is absent today. All right then. Isogai-kun!"

"Present!" The class rep yelled, rejoining the shooting fest after an expeditious reloading of his weapon.

"Okajima-kun!"

"Here!"

It was soon confirmed that apart from Karma, the rest of 3-E was present.

"Now, on to our guests from class 1-A! Aoyama Yuuga-kun!"

"Ici "

"Bonjour, Monsieur Aoyama! Ashido Mina-san?"

"Heeeeeeere~!!" came Mina's overenthusiastic shout.

"Energetic! Asui Tsuyu-san?"

And so roll call went on like this until at last Momo had her attendance taken (with Bakugou screaming 'DIE!' at Korosensei when his name was called, leading to Kirishima, Kaminari, Mina and Sero having to stop firing at Korosensei due to an outburst of laughter as the teacher reacted to Bakugou's statement with an 'I wish you the best of luck!') A collective sigh rose from E-class as they lamented yet another failure at killing their teacher, while A-class buzzed with comments at the back.

"How the heck did none of those bullets manage to hit him?!" Mineta screeched.

"This is the perfect wake-up call! I'm fully awake now!" Kirishima grinned.

"Same!!" Mina pumped her fists in the air.

Midoriya immediately grabbed his notebook and began scribbling furiously in it. "... he's fast... unknown quirk... do the tentacles play a role in his speed...? Aizawa-sensei said something about him being able to move as fast as Mach 20... some kind of mutation, maybe?"

"There he goes again," Ojiro sweatdropped.


	3. three

_**Holy shit idfk how so many ships started sailing in one chapter lmao (and finally an update yeeee)**_

"Damn, it's _so_ hot in here," Midnight moaned, using a file to fan herself, her tits jiggling fiercely as she did so. Her eyes flitted over Karasuma, whose face showed no emotion.

"Oh, do old Japanese hags have no _shame_ these days?" Irina sighed melodramatically, thrusting her bag onto her desk and pretty much draped her entire body over the dense man.

"Who'd you call 'old hag'?!" Midnight leaned over her workspace to glower at Irina. Karasuma lifted Irina's arm and (very unceremoniously) peeled her off him. Midnight fought to suppress a smirk as Irina struggled to regain her balance.

"Oh, you know. The bitch who still has no idea that her sex appeal is _so_ 10 years ago," Irina said nonchalantly, flipping her hair. "Not many men like dominatrices these days..." She ran her fingers over Karasuma's sleeve playfully. "Especially calm, composed men like my colleague over here. They like to be in control of every situation... but then again, I'm pretty sure Karasuma's never shown any interest in people over thirty." In any person, more like, Irina corrected in her head, sighing bitterly.

A tick mark appeared on the hero's forehead. This is like Mt. Lady all over again, only worse...! "What are you, a petulant child still wet behind the ears? One who's only able to express her insecurities through insults? If you're _jealous_ , you could've just said so," Midnight sneered.

Irina's light blue eyes widened in surprise. "Why would I _ever_ be jealous of you when I already have beauty, skill _and_ youth on my side?"

"You little -"

"I AM HERE!" The door to the staff room slid open, and outside in the hallway stood All Might, dressed formally in a bright yellow suit, muffling a bloody cough with his hand.

"All Might? What are you doing here?" Midnight frowned quizzically. "I thought only Aizawa and I are supposed to be supervising these kids?"

"This is kind of sudden, but the principal sent me to inform you about A class' progress in the training they've been doing and also to supervise them. He also wants me to deliver a message while I'm at it - well, it's more of an idea, actually."

"An idea?" Korosensei appeared in the doorway, followed by Aizawa, who had just been introduced to 3-E. "I wasn't informed that you'd be joining us, All Might-san, but do tell! By the way, it's your lesson now, Irina-sensei."

Irina blew a kiss at Midnight, before sashaying out of the room with her boobs bouncing animatedly.

"Good riddance," the hero muttered under her breath.

"As you know, class 1-A has recently begun staying in the dorms for safety reasons. The principal thinks that our students and yours can make use of the common rooms to bond, get to know each other, and ultimately improve their coordination when carrying out their assassination. And since there's still quite a lot of room in the students' rooms, we figured that class 3-E could move in for the duration of their partnership."

"No objections here," Midnight shrugged.

"Seconded," Karasuma offered.

"The students rooming together...? Ohhhh, nice! A second chance to play matchmaker!" Korosensei trilled, dodging a bullet shot in his direction by Karasuma.

"Perverted octopuses don't have a say in this," he said bluntly.

Comical tears trickled down Korosensei's face. "But that attempt during the Okinawa trip didn't go well... don't you want to see your students happy and in love, Karasuma-sensei?"

"Ah, young love... such a beautiful thing," Midnight chirped in agreement.

Korosensei visibly deflated when he received "no, I don't. Not now, at least. I have no doubt in their abilities, but if that feeling distracts them from their mission, it won't be favorable to them or us" as Karasuma's response.

"Either way, it's decided, then -"

"No, no, All Might-san." Korosensei interrupted, his 'wrong answer' face flashing. "My students, for one, weren't pleased with us making the arrangements about this collaboration without considering their opinions, so it'd be in our best interests not to make that same mistake. We should ask them before dismissal and propose a class vote if necessary."

"That... makes sense, actually," Midnight noted. "Especially since we have to get our new students to warm up to us."

"You can probably learn from him, All Might," Aizawa pointed out. All Might scratched the back of his head, lightly chuckling at his own inexperience.

"Nurufufufu," Korosensei laughed, green stripes coloring his face. "All Might-san, while you are indeed more experienced in dealing with villains, I believe we can both improve our skills as fellow teachers during our time together!" He extended a tentacle for All Might.

"We should probably cherish our time, then, for I think with the addition of our UA students and my illustrious colleagues, your lifespan would definitely be shortened," All Might cleared his throat and replied in his good ol' 'fear not, for I am here' tone, determination clear in his eyes as he awkwardly shook the yellow limb up and down.

In the classroom, Irina turned back around to face her class after scrawling a sentence on the board.

"Hey, tentacle guy with the mask over there! Repeat after me: the scent of your perfume is making me so horny," Uttering a string of English tinged with a slight Serbian accent, Irina pointed at Shouji with a neatly manicured finger and tapped each word on the board with another.

"Uh..." Shouji swallowed, contemplating whether or not to do as his teacher said.

"This isn't classroom appropriate...!" Iida muttered through gritted teeth.

At the back of the classroom, Todoroki reached across the aisle and tapped Momo's arm.

"Todoroki-san...?" she asked, puzzled as she opened the little folded note. Without a moment's hesitation, she peered inside her shirt and drew two freshly created objects from her chest.

Midoriya was frowning slightly at why Shouji wasn't doing what Irina had asked of him when Mineta poked him in his back. "What is it, Mineta-kun?"

"As much as I believe everyone should learn how to appreciate the beauty of all things NSFW, I can _feel_ Todoroki glaring at me and I _don't_ want to be burnt to a crisp _or_ turned into an icicle, so you'd better put 'em on," he whispered. "Or the whole Midoriya Protection Squad will be after my head," he added for emphasis.

 _Midoriya Protection Squad...?_ Confused as hell, Midoriya found a pair of earplugs and a slip of paper with 'don't listen to what she says. Trust me, what she's teaching isn't even in the syllabus' written in Todoroki's surprisingly messy script. Midoriya laughed a bit in spite of himself. You'd think a stoic guy like him would have very tidy handwriting... the gap moe is actually kind of adorable.

From the periphery of his vision, he could make out Uraraka and Iida flashing thumbs-ups at the heterochromatic-eyed boy.

"Bitch-sensei, can't you teach us more normal sentences?" Sugino complained.

"Seriously, Bitch-sensei, can you give examples of English dialogues that we'll actually say without shame to other people on the street?" Nakamura added.

Kirishima and Sero had to guffaw into their elbows. "Did they literally just call her Bitch-sensei -?"

(le timeskip)

Midoriya plunked down in his seat after his Home Ec lesson with Korosensei and took out his notebook once again.

"Excuse me?"

The freckled boy glanced up and saw a short bluenette clutching a memo pad in his hands. He gave him a somewhat shy smile. "Uh, hi, I'm Shiota Nagisa. Are you taking notes on Korosensei?"

"Um, yeah! I assume you've been doing that too, Shiota-kun?"

"Nagisa's fine. I've actually gathered quite a number of his weaknesses. Do you wanna take a look?" Nagisa offered.

"Oh, sure! If you want me to, that is," Midoriya said politely.

Nagisa brought over an empty chair and slid into it, letting Midoriya pour over his notes and answering whatever query he had.

"Wow, I didn't expect him to have so many weaknesses!"

Nagisa chuckled. "Neither did I. I mean, he literally blew up 70% of the moon! But turns out he's just as human as any of us if you look beneath the surface."

"Don't judge a book by its cover, right?"

The bluenette grinned. "Yep. See, here, this is the list I've made of the ones I discovered during our summer trip to Okinawa..."

Nagisa leaned in so close to explain that Midoriya could practically smell his shampoo and feel the bluenette's breath on the back of his hand.

A hand suddenly clamped down on his shoulder.

He knew it was a hand, but it smelled metallic and... something wet was dripping from it for some reason?

He slowly turned and almost jumped when he saw the crimson leaking into his shirt. "Hey, do you have a tissue?"

"U-uh..." Midoriya was speechless, not expecting to see such an amount of blood _here_ out of all places.

"Really, Karma-kun?" Nagisa leveled an exasperated gaze at the redheaded newcomer.

"Whaaaaaat, I could use one."

"What is it this time?" Nagisa asked, a scolding smile on his face.

"It's probably a stray that wandered onto the campus. Some of those so-called 'elites' at the main campus were kicking it around in some dark corner, so I gave 'em a taste of their own medicine." Leaning back, Karma revealed a kitten with bloody scrapes scarring its matted brown fur in his left arm. Its large green eyes mirroring Midoriya's, it purred softly as Nagisa began running his fingers gently over its wounds. "I think this little buddy would love to have a home, and I just happen to owe you a birthday present. And I know you love felines a lot more than I do, so..."

Midoriya was mildly surprised by the current look in Karma's golden eyes: while they had glowed with the menace and fierceness of wild, untamed flames just a moment before, the predatory gleam in them was now gone. His doting gaze lingering on Nagisa, nothing but pure adoration was found in the amber depths.

"Thanks, but... I don't think my mom is gonna let me keep it." Nagisa hesitantly withdrew his hand, smiling apologetically.

"Nah, it's fine. I'll just drop it off at the animal shelter later. Want to come with? We can get you a gift on the way." Karma set the kitten down on the desk.

"Kyaaaaa~! She's so cute!!" Mina's squeal echoed in the classroom as she quickly bounced over to marvel at the little furball, which shied away before eventually giving in and nuzzling its head against her pink palm.

"I swear, that cat went 'did you just assume my gender' for a second there," Sero snickered.

"Holy shit, dude, is that still a thing now?" Kirishima gave a hard slap to his bro's back, watching Kouda pick the kitten up and speak soothing words to it while a lot of girls fawned over the sight.

"Saving a kitty, hmm? Who knew _the_ Akabane Karma is actually a huge softie," Nakamura teased, sidling up to Karma, who was giving a massage to the shoulders of a mildly annoyed Nagisa. ("You really should stop beating people up when they annoy you. I don't want you to get suspended again, you know.")

Todoroki, who had just gotten up from his seat, was about to go and confront Midoriya about the blood on his shoulder when the name that rolled off the blond girl's tongue stopped him cold. Akabane... Karma? Why does that name sound familiar...?

"Shut _up_ , Nakamura," Karma groaned and glanced around the room, amber eyes instantly meeting a pair of mismatched ones.

He raised his eyebrows, grinning as he slunk towards Todoroki with the aura of a feral animal. Todoroki, despite being slightly unsettled by his sudden advance, held his stare.

"Why, if this isn't the Todoroki Shouto I've heard so much about. Y'know, Endeavor used to get me to tutor your brother Natsuo~ he sucked so much at math back then - just imagine a fricking second-grader tutoring him when he was in sixth grade!"

 _Oh._ "I think he's mentioned this 'Karma' person once or twice," Todoroki replied thoughtfully. "Nice to finally make your acquaintance." He threw in a shrug. "I guess. You're not a frequent topic of discussion at the dinner table, though."

"Weeeeeell, I'm pretty sure he's gushing about his girlfriend all the time. She's the only thing he texts me about these days; he's been really damn busy trying to please her. Been giving him dating tips too, though I haven't dated girls before, if you know what I mean."

Todoroki sent a fleeting glance in Nagisa's direction. Karma's eyes followed the other boy's before focusing on him with more ferocity than before, silently daring the slightly taller boy to comment on the statement.

Because _hell_ , if this guy was going to call Nagisa a fag or some shit, not even his relationship with Natsuo could save his pretty face from the might of his fist.

"... I haven't dated anyone before, but I guess it all works the same. Not really into the whole romance thing, so how about you tell me more about you and my brother?"

Todoroki pursed his lips ever so slightly, his heterochromatic gaze flickering to Midoriya, who was conversing with Isogai and Maehara (with the latter's hand not-so-discreetly brushing the former's ass). Isogai's antennae instantly stood up straight in momentary shock, but being the class' perfect ikemen, his warm smile didn't falter in the slightest as he swatted Maehara's hand away (much more discreetly).

For a fraction of a second, he wondered if he could ever touch Midoriya in such a manner too.

... maybe he was more interested in romance than he'd claimed to be.

Karma's lips slackened into a careless smile. "Natsuo and I are pretty good friends, and honestly, with the way your dad had quarantined you from the rest of your siblings when you were a kid, I doubt you'd know them or the people they hang around very well. Natsuo did use to talk about you a lot, though. You were apparently really cute as a lil' baby. We liked eavesdropping on your dad, my uncle and my dad as they talked about us."

"Your uncle?"

Karma gave a lazy yawn. "Eh, you'll know who he is pretty soon. The entire class knows him; they just don't know he's my uncle. Except for, like, Nagisa-kun. The rest of 'em are probably gonna flip if they figure it out," he said, biting back a chortle.

(le timeskip)

Todoroki retrieved the can of black coffee from the vending machine and took a hearty swig from it. The class was assembled in front of the front gate of the main campus, waiting for the coach to take them back to the dorm. Being UA first-years that had had encounters with actual villains, they attracted many curious stares. Conspiracy theories were hissed frantically into ears; Todoroki assumed the news of their arrival hadn't been announced. So much for keeping this a secret, he thought as two giggly girls cornered him for a selfie.

Having come second at the end of the sports festival, the crowd that flocked to him was possibly the largest, if only because Bakugou was emitting a dangerous (one that's even more dangerous than before) aura with his death glares at the Kunugigaoka students who dared to go as far as approaching Kirishima. The redhead's cheery demeanor was nothing but exuberant and welcoming; if anything, Bakugou's murderous expression whenever a person leaned in just a _little_ too close when asking for a photo with Kirishima was why there weren't more people in their corner.

Bakugou was rather asocial when compared to the rest of his squad, and that was probably the only thing about him that Todoroki could relate to. He himself had almost used up all of his quotas of conversing with strangers when he saw a boy heading towards him in quick, long strides, a confident smirk plastered on his face. His violet eyes gleamed with interest as he eyed the hero-in-training, his gait screaming power and authority - must be some popular elite here, if the four lackeys flanking him isn't enough evidence, Todoroki mused, returning the boy's stare with an icy one of his own.

"You're Todoroki Shouto-san, yes? From the infamous UA High?" His voice was a smooth drawl and for some reason, everything about this strawberry blond reminded him of class E's resident redheaded delinquent.

"Mm."

"I'm Asano Gakushuu from Kunugigaoka's 3-A. Nice to make your acquaintance." Asano flashed him a smile, his hand out for a friendly handshake. "I'm the student body president, so feel free to come to me if you have any queries about school affairs."

Todoroki grabbed his hand and had just entwined their fingers when Asano jerked him forward.

Let's just say this wasn't how Todoroki dreamed of losing his first kiss.

 _\- what the -!_

Asano kept a surprisingly firm hand on the back of Todoroki's head, not letting him go. The former sucked on the latter's lips, sucking him and the thoughts in his head in -

The momentary shock wearing off, Todoroki was about to blast the strawberry blond with a burst of ice in defence when Asano stumbled backwards, shoved by an unseen force. Todoroki frowned. "Hey -"

"Y'know, Asano-kuuuuun, you can't just go hitting on everyone that walks by~"

"Akabane." Asano regarded the approaching boy coolly. "Who I make out with isn't exactly your concern, is it? But what can I say, you have a knack for sticking your nose in other people's business."

Todoroki exchanged looks with Nagisa, who'd moved to stand by him with a kitten - the center of attention during the break earlier today - in his arms ("I'm waiting for Karma - we're going home together.")

"My, my~ I thought Uncle G told you not to use your quirk in public?" Karma purred.

"Hypocrite," Asano scoffed. "Didn't you just do the same?"

"Desperate times, dearest cousin. I'm not letting my friend's little brother get harassed by you."

"Whatever. I got what I need to know for now. A yellow octopus by the name of Korosensei... that's your class teacher, hmm? Of fucking _course_ my father kept me from this. An assassination, huh? Interesting..."

Sensing Todoroki's confusion, Nagisa smiled before launching into an explanation. "Asano-kun's the chairman's son. Karma-kun's mom is the chairman's sister, so that makes the two of them cousins."

"Oh. So... Karma actually has a quirk?"

Nagisa nodded. "Airbending. Asano-kun suddenly breaking the, uh, kiss - that was Karma-kun. The chairman forbade him from using his quirk on school grounds as punishment after an... incident last year; it didn't really matter to him, though. He's never relied much on his quirk - he's always preferred using his bare fists to solve problems. He was put into E class because of behavioral problems, not like the majority of us."

Todoroki waited for the bluenette to elaborate further. When he didn't, he proceeded on to his next question. "Do you, by any chance, know what quirk the Asano guy has?"

"Mind reading, Todoroki-san," Asano interjected pleasantly. "I've long since been curious about what's going on with E class - that old man wouldn't tell me, and I couldn't extract any information from the End Class students. They stuff their secret into the deepest part of their memory; even with my speed of sorting and absorbing necessary information, there never was enough time for me to hack that deep into their mind, let alone decipher anything. So when I happened to overhear something about this class from UA going to E class of all places, I saw my chance - there's no way they'd be as tight-lipped. They're bound to let something slip."

Footsteps came to a stop behind him. "It seems like I was a bit too late, wasn't I?"

Asano's smile went slightly rigid as he turned to face his father. "Are you really that naive, thinking you can keep a big ass national secret like this from me forever?"

"It isn't really a national secret anymore if you blurt it out so _loudly_ and _carelessly,_ you know, _my son_ ," the chairman spat the last two words in a low drawl, his expression unreadable.

With the sudden appearance of the chairman, the students who were exiting the campus all stopped and turned to look at the scene with interest.

"See? You still have so much to learn, Gakushuu. Attracting unwanted attention never ends well."

"Shut up," Gakushuu growled.

"C'mon, Uncle G~ don't be so harsh on him, yeah? It's only normal for him to react like that after finding out about something so big."

"About that. We'll talk about it in a more private setting. You're coming too, Karma."

Karma pouted. "Ehhhh~ no fair~" He latched onto Nagisa's arm. "I'm supposed to be going on a date with Nagisa-kun~!"

"Then you're missing this date because of your own inability to comply to _instructions_ ," Asano Sr. smiled, violet eyes glinting maliciously.

"It's okay, Karma-kun. I can take the kitten to the shelter on my own, and the café's also open tomorrow," Nagisa soothed.

"Fineeeeee. Sorry, though," the redhead pressed a soft kiss on Nagisa's forehead. "I'll treat you to anything you want to tomorrow, yeah? (Todoroki edged away slightly, feeling rather uncomfortable. Apparently the couple was very fond of PDA.)

Nagisa's reply was drowned out by another wave of gasps and excited chatter, only with their volumes increased tenfold. Announcing the arrival of someone important, probably.

"Holy shit, isn't that -"

"- oh my god, it's him! I never thought I'd see him in person!"

"- Endeavor-san, may I have an autograph?"

Todoroki stiffened at the comment coming from the guy who passed by him in a rush and contemplated making a run for it when his dad's voice rang loud and clear behind him. "Shouto."

 _Fuck._


End file.
